After receiving reports about students being overwhelmed by distance learning, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, October 12, urged teachers to give a “reasonable” amount of tasks in class to prevent burnout.

“Tantiyahin ang mga activities na gagawin. Hindi naman lahat ng subjects ay may activity na kailangan tapusin bawat araw,” Education Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said in a virtual press briefing on Monday. (Estimate how many activities should be done. Not all subjects require everyday deadlines.)

“Sila [teachers] na po mismo ang maga-agree kung ano ‘yung reasonable kasi ayaw naman natin na ‘yung excitement ng mga bata na matuto ay ma-convert into burnout,” he added. (Teachers should agree among themselves what is reasonable because we don’t want the excitement of students for learning to be converted into burnout.)

San Antonio reminded teachers to be considerate during the pandemic in terms of students’ work submission.

“Kung ano lang ‘yung kaya ng bata, iyon lang muna ang i-sumite. Hindi naman ito dapat panahon na super higpit tayo sa mga kung anu-anong ginagawa natin,” San Antonio said. (Let students submit what they can. This is not the time that we should enforce strict measures on what we’re doing.)

In a Rappler Talk interview on September 25, San Antonio assured students that holidays and class suspensions will still be followed despite the shift to distance learning.

On Monday, over 24 million students started classes in the country in the middle of a pandemic. Despite issues experienced by students, teachers, and parents, Education Secretary Leonor Briones decribed the school opening as a success. (WATCH: Empty classrooms as Philippines starts classes during pandemic)

Following President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for schools to delay face-to-face classes until a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, the DepEd has shifted to distance learning. (READ: FAST FACTS: DepEd’s distance learning)

Distance learning is when teachers and students are geographically remote from each other during their classes. This means lessons are delivered outside the traditional face-to-face setup, through a mix of modular learning, online learning, and TV and radio broadcasts. – Rappler.com